has been found that women also develop this with long-term diabetes. Impotence in the diabetic man has long been recognized. It is now more fully understood. In men, damage to the pelvic autonomic nerves can lead to a complication called retrograde ejaculation. Instead of moving forward, semen is propelled backward into the bladder. Problems of fertility and sterility must be considered if retrograde ejaculation is diagnosed in the diabetic male. Diabetic men have a 50 to 60 percent incidence of impotence, much higher than among men in the general population. Impotence may occur any time after adolescence. If the nerves that stimulate erection are damaged, there will be no erection. Other causes of impotence include hormone imbalances, blood vessel and heart diseases, and some medications. Men and women are at equal risk of neuropathic damage to the pelvic autonomic nerves. For women, difficulty with lubrication or difficulty reaching orgasm may be caused by decreased nerve sensitivity. According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetics spend a total of more than 24 million days in the hospitals each year in the US. Nearly 6000 people lose their eyesight annually because of diabetes, making it the most common cause of adult blindness. People with diabetes are at least twice as likely to develop heart disease and suffer heart attacks and strokes. They have kidney problems 17 times more frequently than people without diabetes undergo 40 times as many amputations. Diabetes is the direct cause of more than 40000 deaths a year and an indirect cause of more than 300000 deaths a year, counting patients who die of diabetes-related kidneys, heart, and circulatory problems. Diabetes is the third most common cause of death in the US today, after heart disease and cancer. Although these statistics can be frightening, most people are able to live normal lives. This requires keeping blood sugar levels under control. For some diabetics, daily ...
